School on Wheels connects local homeless youth with tutors

Program looks for more tutors for the next session, starting in January

Kaila Braleykbraley@wickedlocal.com

The best part of Lee Stevens' week is the hour she spends reading children's books and doing third-grade math homework.

Stevens, of Hingham, tutors a local student as part of the School on Wheels of Massachusetts program, which is an organization that matches up volunteer tutors with children living in homeless shelters and hotels for one-hour sessions each week to help them through school and provide support.

"Sometimes I think, and I’m not trying to exaggerate, that it’s the most fulfilling part of my week to spend time with children who have so much less than most of us do," said Stevens, of Hingham.

Stevens said the student she tutors was shy at first, but has become more comfortable with her as the semester has continued.

“One time, when his mom came to pick him up, he was heading out of the lobby, he turned back and ran up to me and gave me a big hug,” Stevens said. “That was one time, but there’s lots of little things.”

The organization, which was founded in 2004, works at 14 different sites in Brockton, New Bedford, Stoughton, Norwell, Weymouth, Randolph and Fall River, said School on Wheels Operations Director Robin Gilbert. There are 193 students enrolled in the program and 222 tutors for this past session, said Gilbert.

The Massachusetts organization is one of three School on Wheels programs in the country. The other two programs are based in California, and Indiana.

Yasmin Lolasco wanted to hire a tutor for her 8-year-old son, but wasn’t able to afford it. Because of School on Wheels, her son has been able to get help, free of charge.

She said the tutoring has made a big difference to her son, who she can’t always help with homework because her work schedule doesn't always give her time to help him with homework.

“When he comes home from school, a lot of times I have to go to work,” Lolasco said. “My son was behind, but since he’s gone to tutoring, he just flies by.”

Lolasco is living in the Super 8 in Weymouth with her son Oscar Soussront and his dad. Her son has been working with a tutor since February of last year, when they were placed in the hotel.

When families are placed in shelters or hotels, it often requires that they move to a new town, which can be disruptive to students, Executive Director Cheryl Opper said. Students are often bussed to their old school, but they are no longer able to stay after school for activities or extra help, and they often are staying on overcrowded shelters, with not much quiet space where they can do homework, Opper said.

“It’s challenging for kids when they have to move, because they’re not only losing their homes, but they lose their community,” Opper said. “They can use a bus or van to get to school, but sometimes it’s a long commute, or sometimes they miss days in the transition.”

Having access to technology or project materials is another challenge for students that School on Wheels tries to address by bringing laptops, and giving the students flash drives and other supplies for projects, Opper said.

She said the organization is always looking for donations of backpacks, school supplies and money to help support the families.

The East Bridgewater-based organization is currently looking for more volunteers to tutor in those seven towns for their next session, which runs from Jan. 11 through May 19. Most tutors are asked to contribute an hour and a half at the same time each week to work with the same student, said Opper.

“Most people think to be a tutor, you have to have an educational background, but that’s not true. It’s important to be a positive adult role model from all walks of life,” Opper said. “They’re like an anchor during a time of a lot of instability.”

Stevens started tutoring this September, after learning about the organization on Facebook. She had been looking for a volunteering opportunity, and this one just seemed like a good fit, she said.

“It’s really rewarding,” Stevens said. “It’s about the support you can offer the child. You don’t have to know all of the answers.”

Stevens has already signed up to be in the program for the next term.

To tutor in the program, volunteers go through a background check, and three-hour training course in early January.

The program has been working with the Rehoboth Shelter for more than 10 years, said Executive Director of Friends of the Homeless Herb Newell said.

“A lot of the volunteers are retired teachers. They help our kids with enrichment,” he said. “They keep in contact with teachers, and pick up the whole nine yards.”

Lolasco said she’s very grateful for the tutors who take time out of their busy schedules to help her son study. She said she would encourage people who might be considering tutoring in the program to do so.

“It’s also awesome that they take time out of their busy schedules to spend time with our kids,” she said. “There are a lot of families out there who need help.”